7.8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Imperial stout as interpreted by old familiar Italian LoverBeer, apparently quite oldskool as it clocks in at a mere 7% ABV. Vintage 33 cl bottle bought online, dating back to 2011 apparently - at least that is what the neckfoil says... Densely creamy; mocha-beige, rather thick, regular and stable head on a jet black robe. Interesting and 'kaleidoscopic' aroma of coffee grounds, dried prunes, bitter black chocolate, old wood, ripe blackberries, dried blueberries including the sour aspect, oxidized Chianti wine, dried fig, subtler hints of raw cinnamon, dry sherry, bayleaf, dried passionfruit, coffee cream, elderberries, green tree leaves, black tea, Cuban cigars faraway in the background, dry caramel, limestone. Fruity onset, quite supple for the style with estery notes of elderberry, red apple, passionfruit, fig and blackberry, restrainedly sweetish with a persistent yet soft sourish undertone (persistent enough to effectuate something 'oud bruin'-like, as in a sour stout), rich and 'dark' in a somewhat juicy and red berry-like way; softish carb, supple body, oily and smooth yet not nearly as thick and syrupy as most contemporary 'impies'. Layers of dry caramel, bitter chocolate, walnut and toasted brown bread ensue, but again more slender and supple than one tends to expect from a 21st-century imperial stout; sweetish but subduedly so, with more emphasis on roasty bitterness in the end, even though this bitterness too remains altogether softish. Vinous finish, in which a dry sherry-like oxidation is clearly noticeable, but far less so than I was expecting from a beer now thirteen years old; hints of bayleaf, clove and vague liquorice set in too, but the entire flavour becomes even more dry than it already was, while the alcohol remains very well hidden, even if a red wine-like effect is omnipresent from middle to finish, propelled forward by a long-lasting, tannic, astringent woodiness from the 'barrique' treatment. This is Italian elegance in imperial stout for sure, but more than anything, this is old school imperial stout in a way I have not had for many, many years - as if the U.S. craft beer movement never happened. A blast from the past, somewhat astringent and overly vinous perhaps, with clear Flemish oud bruin-like features which would never appear in a truly historical imperial stout (LoverBeer's Dama Bruna even springs to mind here and there), but certainly rich and rewarding. An interesting find, as they say.

4.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4

(Keg at Koht, 20220707) The beer poured very dark brown and cloudy. Its head was medium sized and lightly brown. Aroma had berries, caramel, chocolate and sourness. Palate was medium bodied and dry with medium carbonation. The flavours were berries, sour milk, ash, wood and bitterness. Aftertaste had fruit skins and bitterness. A brew with promising aroma and rather horrible taste. Very disappointing.

7

Hapu, röstine, šokolaad, karamell, kerge sour/brown vaib. Ok.

7.8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Tap @ BBF 2011. dark brown color. Smells like italian barbera wine. Roasted malt and ash in the very vinous flavor. Long roasty vinous aftertaste.

6

To nijak nie ris. Taki hmmm... nieco palony i bardziej kawowy dubbel jak dla mnie, tyle, ze dosc wytrawny... no dobra, takie troche dziwne piwo, stout do chlania? Z dziwnymi posmakami kwaskowatymi, malo ciala... ciemne owoce... susz... nie jest zle, 3.1

5.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5

Bottled (backlog). Dark brown colour with a beige foamy head. Aroma is chocolate, liquorice, some sourness along with mild toffee and grains. Flavour is grains, chocolate, liquorice, mild alcohol and some sour wooden notes as well. Probably infected, as the sourness wasn’t all to pleasant nor suiting the beer.

6.9

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

At a tasting, thanks, smallish creamy head, opaque blacjk color, aroma of cherries, candied fruits and a very light maltiness behind,strong charred flavor with some coffee, fruits and nuts, medium sourness. Nice and enjoyable.

8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Flaska från Etre Gourmete. 2011 vintage. Kolsvart tjock vätska med lågt mörkbeige skum. Syrlig doft med mycket choklad jämte mörk stenfrukt. Stor kropp med mycket choklad och en del kaffe, syrlig, trä, lite fat, katrinplommon, mörka plommon, mörka körsbär. Den kraftigaste mörka suröl jag druckigt och den som mest liknat en IS. Dessutom på bara 7%. Imponerande och mycket gott.

4.9

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4.5

Bottle. Dark brown. Aroma: dirty, hops, malt, caramel, dried fruits. Taste: infected, caramel and a little prunes, acidity. Sad :(